# Speech length calculator: words to minutes (and back)

Enter your word count to see how long the speech takes at a slow (110), average (140) and fast (170) words-per-minute pace, or enter the minutes you have to see how many words fit. A 5-minute speech is about 550 to 850 words; 700 words at an average pace.

By the Speaking Coach team at Sodhera Intelligence. Updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://www.orecci.com/speaking-coach/tools/speech-length-calculator/

## How to use it

1. **Words to minutes:** type the word count of your script. Most writing apps show it in a status bar or under a word count menu.
2. **Minutes to words:** type the time you've been given. You'll see the word budget at each pace.
3. Pick the pace that matches how you speak. If you don't know, measure it once with the [pace checker](/speaking-coach/tools/pace-checker/).

## Minutes to words: quick reference

| Speech length | Slow (110 wpm) | Average (140 wpm) | Fast (170 wpm) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 minute | 110 words | 140 words | 170 words |
| 2 minutes | 220 words | 280 words | 340 words |
| 3 minutes | 330 words | 420 words | 510 words |
| 5 minutes | 550 words | 700 words | 850 words |
| 10 minutes | 1,100 words | 1,400 words | 1,700 words |
| 15 minutes | 1,650 words | 2,100 words | 2,550 words |
| 20 minutes | 2,200 words | 2,800 words | 3,400 words |

## Words to minutes: quick reference

| Word count | Slow (110 wpm) | Average (140 wpm) | Fast (170 wpm) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 250 words | 2:16 | 1:47 | 1:28 |
| 500 words | 4:33 | 3:34 | 2:56 |
| 750 words | 6:49 | 5:21 | 4:25 |
| 1,000 words | 9:05 | 7:09 | 5:53 |
| 1,500 words | 13:38 | 10:43 | 8:49 |
| 2,000 words | 18:11 | 14:17 | 11:46 |

Times are minutes and seconds of speaking, with no pauses for laughter, applause or slide changes.

## Which pace to plan for

- **Slow (110):** eulogies, emotional toasts, speaking to a large room, or an audience listening in a second language. Also a safe choice if you know you rush when nervous, because nerves usually speed you up.
- **Average (140):** most presentations, class talks, work updates and interview presentations. Conversational English is commonly cited at about 120 to 160 words per minute, and presentations often land around 130 to 150.
- **Fast (170):** casual, energetic delivery. Rarely the right plan for a speech, but useful as a worst case: if you rush, this is how short it gets.

## Planning tips

- **Leave room.** Write for about 80 to 90 percent of your slot. A best man speech with a 5-minute slot works better at around 550 to 600 words than at 700, because laughs and pauses take time.
- **Slides add time.** Each slide change, gesture to a chart or "as you can see here" costs a few seconds. For a slide-heavy talk, plan at the slow column.
- **Read it out loud once with a timer.** The calculator gives an estimate; your own run is the real number. If they differ by more than a minute, trust the run.
- **Cut by section, not by word.** If you're over, drop a whole story or point rather than trimming sentences everywhere.

For a step-by-step rehearsal plan, see [how to practice a speech](/speaking-coach/guides/how-to-practice-a-speech/). Guides to specific occasions are in [speeches and toasts](/speaking-coach/speeches/).

## Questions people ask

### How many words is a 3-minute speech?

About 330 to 510 words, and about 420 at an average pace of 140 words per minute. For a toast with laughs, plan on about 350.

### How long is a 1,000-word speech?

About 7 minutes at 140 words per minute, between roughly 6 and 9 minutes depending on your pace.

### How many pages is a 5-minute speech?

It depends on font and spacing, so count words instead of pages. At 140 words per minute, 5 minutes is about 700 words.

### Why did my speech run longer than the calculator said?

Pauses, audience reactions, ad-libbed lines and slide changes all add time. Nervous speakers also add filler words. Time a full run out loud to see your real length.

### Does it work for languages other than English?

The 110, 140 and 170 paces are based on English. Speakers of other languages fit a different number of words into a minute, so time a run out loud and adjust.

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